= The_Power_of

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= The_Power_of_Now =
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Introduction
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'The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment' is a book by
Eckhart Tolle. It is a discussion about how people interact with
themselves and others. The concept of self-reflection and presence in
the moment are presented along with simple exercises for the
achievement of its principles.
Published in the late 1990s, the book was recommended by Oprah Winfrey
and has been translated into 33 languages. As of 2009, it was
estimated that three million copies had been sold in North America.

In the book's introduction the author relates his past experiences of
continuous anxiety with periods of suicidal depression. Later, when he
was 29 years old, he had a personal epiphany and writes: "I heard the
words 'resist nothing' as if spoken inside my chest." He relates that
he felt as if he were falling into a void and afterwards "there was no
more fear."

Philosophical outlook
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The book draws from a variety of spiritual traditions, and one
reviewer described it as "Buddhism mixed with mysticism and a few
references to Jesus Christ, a sort of New Age re-working of Zen." It
uses these traditions to describe a "belief system based on living in
the present moment". Its core message is that people's emotional
problems are rooted in their identification with their minds. The
author writes that an individual should be aware of their present
moment instead of losing themselves in worry and anxiety about the
past or future.

According to the book, only the present moment is real and only the
present moment matters, and both an individual's past and future are
created by their thoughts. The author maintains that people's
insistence that they have control of their life is an illusion "that
only brings pain". The book also describes methods of relaxation and
meditation to help readers anchor themselves in the present. These
suggestions include slowing down by avoiding multi-tasking, spending
time in nature, and letting go of worries about the future. Some of
the concepts contained in 'The Power of Now', such as the human ego
and its negative effects on happiness, are further elaborated in the
author's later books, especially 'A New Earth: Awakening to Your
Life's Purpose' (2005).

Selected chapters
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The chapters of the book are:

Various chapters emphasize a philosophy of destroying the destructive
dominance of the mind and ego in an effort to overcome the pain body.
According to the author, his philosophy is directed towards people and
their search for personal happiness and also has the potential to give
insight into historical disasters like the justification of what he
sees as the evil of capitalism.

Chapter One: "You are not your mind"
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Tolle distinguishes between a person’s thoughts, described as a “voice
in the head” and the person’s true self. He explains that this
"thought-voice" should be recognized as separate from one's authentic
self (this is evident because the real self is aware of the voice's
presence). He argues this voice is generally a destructive influence
that can and should be ignored. This is coherent with Tolle’s
background dealing with anxiety. However, he makes no distinction
between intrusive thoughts and other types, classifying all of them
negatively, which is controversial for most readers.

Chapter Two: "Consciousness: The Way Out of Pain"
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In Chapter Two, Tolle tells the reader that they must recognize their
personal ego "without the ego creating an antagonistic response to its
own denial or destruction" and explains the purposelessness of the
"mental pain and anguish" that people hold on to. According to the
book: "The pain-body consists of trapped life-energy that has split
off from your total energy field and has temporarily become autonomous
through the unnatural process of mind identification." In this chapter
the author writes: "pain can only feed on pain. Pain cannot feed on
joy. It finds it quite indigestible". The author goes on to write
that "many people live with a tormentor in their head that
continuously attacks and punishes them and drains them of vital
energy. It is the cause of untold misery and unhappiness."

Chapter Three: "Moving Deeply Into the Now"
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In Chapter Three, the author writes: "In the normal, mind-identified
or unenlightened state of consciousness, the power and creative
potential that lie concealed in the Now are completely obscured by
psychological time. You cannot find yourself by going into the past.
You can find yourself to your study by coming into the present. Life
is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will
there ever be."

Chapter Four: "Mind Strategies for Avoiding the Now"
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In Chapter Four, Tolle says that "tomorrow's bills are not the
problem" and can be a "core delusion" that changes a "mere situation,
event or emotion" into a reason for suffering and unhappiness. The
book also calls "waiting" a "state of mind" that we should snap
ourselves out of.

Reception
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The book was originally published in 1997 by Namaste Publishing in
Vancouver. It was republished in 1999 by New World Library, and this
edition reached and remained on the 'New York Times' bestseller list
for years afterwards. The book has been translated into 33 languages,
including Arabic.

In 2000, the book was listed as recommended reading in Oprah Winfrey's
'O' magazine and, according to Winfrey, the actress Meg Ryan also
recommended it. A Christian author, Andrew Ryder, wrote a
dissertation saying that "Tolle moves the traditional [Christian]
teaching forward by illustrating how our obsession with the past and
the future ... [prevents] us from giving our full attention to the
present moment." William Bloom, a spokesperson for the holistic,
mind-body-spirit movement in the UK, wrote that "Tolle's approach is
very body aware. He's done it in a nice accessible way for people."

Some reviewers were more critical of the book. According to a review
in the 'Telegraph Herald', the book is not very well-written but
contains some good teachings. Andrea Sachs wrote in 'Time' magazine
that the book is "awash in spiritual mumbo jumbo" and "unhelpful for
those looking for practical advice". An article in 'The Independent'
said that "there is not very much new about 'The Power of Now'" and
described it as "a sort of New Age re-working of Zen."

In popular culture
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When Paris Hilton was incarcerated at the Century Regional Detention
Facility in California in June 2007 she brought with her a copy of
'The Power of Now'. Singer Annie Lennox chose 'The Power of Now' as
one of her "desert island books", as did the professional skater Tony
Hawk. Singer Katy Perry stated that she was inspired to write "This
Moment", a song from her 2013 album 'Prism', after she heard the
audiobook of 'The Power of Now'. Kendrick Lamar references this book
throughout his 2022 album 'Mr Morale & The Big Steppers'.

See also
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* 'Autobiography of a Yogi'
* Mindfulness
* Satipatthana
* 'Be Here Now'

External links
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*[https://www.adphc.gov.ae/-/media/Project/ADPHC/ADPHC/Books-and-Publications/The-Power-of-now-Eng.pdf
PDF file of this book]

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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Now